Finalsocialstudieslesson1 Humanrights
Finalsocialstudieslesson1 Humanrights
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Hope Darcey-Martin
Human Rights
Grade Level
3rd
Course Name or
Content Area
Social Studies
Context
1.
This is the first lesson in a unit on human rights and water.
Students have previously been working on geography and map making.
2.
The long-range learning objective is for students to understand
that everyone has human rights, these rights are not always met, water
is a natural resource and access to water is a human right. We all have
the responsibility to ensure these rights are met. Students will make
connections between their own lives and the lives of those around the
world through discussion, literature, primary source documents,
analyzing case studies, and developing critical thinking skills to plan and
execute solutions to relevant social and moral issues.
3.
The students for whom this lesson has been developed are in
3rd grade. It is a diverse group of 16 students. Several students have
IEPs and one student has a 1-to-1 aide. Many students need extra
support in math, writing, reading, and speech. The class has been
developing a community in which different needs are accepted. Students
are learning to honor each classmate and understand that teachers and
students all must support each other in different ways throughout the
day.
Central Focus
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The central focus of this lesson is learning about human rights by exploring
an adapted primary source. Students will identify previous knowledge on
the subject and add to this knowledge through independent thinking, small
group and whole class discussion and presentations.
State/National Content Standards (Common Core State Standards)
Social Studies: CCSS framework conceptual understanding 3.8: The
concept of universal human rights suggests that all people should be
treated fairly and should have the opportunity to meet their basic needs.
CCSS framework conceptual understanding 3.8a: Across global
communities, governments and citizens alike have a responsibility to
protect human rights and to treat others fairly
ELA: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring
explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is
conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of
a character or setting)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the
words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where,
when, why, and how key events occur).
Objectives and Assessments
Learning Objectives
Formative
Assessments
Summative
Assessments
1. Morning message
question: Can you
think of a human right
that we all have? Write
1.
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3. Apply knowledge of
human rights to
interpret an individual
right.
3.Homework
assignment to create
visual interpretation of
a right. Students should
be familiar with all the
human rights. They
should be able to draw
a picture that
represents their
understanding of the
right. I expect them to
either draw a literal
interpretation or an
example of what does
or does not constitute
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as the right.
Prior Knowledge
1.
Students must know how
to pair and share
2.
Students must know how
to conduct themselves during
small group activities.
1.
This has been practiced
throughout the year.
2.
Students have worked in
small groups in previous lessons.
Listening and being respectful of
classmates is reiterated in the
class rules that are posted.
Academic Language
Academic language function
Students will interpret individual human rights based on the adapted
Declaration of Human Rights (book) and through class discussion. Students
will have many opportunities to access information which with allow them to
interpret including text, visuals, PowerPoint, movie, small group discussion
and whole group discussion. The teacher will facilitate these discussions to
help students stay on topic. Students will interpret in a small group and will
learn from other group presentations. They will then interpret on their own for
homework, using example from the lesson as a guide.
Language demands
Language support
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Skill vocabulary:
-Pair and share
-Web (organizer)
Content Vocabulary
-Rights
-Human Rights
-Article
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Prelesson
Discussio
n: 5-10
minutes.
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Rights using the pointer on the smartboard. The words are all
capitalized which means its a proper noun, or a particular
document not just a passing announcement. Students have been
working on proper nouns and this is a way to tie in a writing
concept with social studies. This group share acts similarly to a
pre-teach of the main concept so that everyone will have a
sense of human rights before the lesson. This again, similarly to
step 1, allows the teacher to assess students
understanding of rights. Do students use personal
examples? Do they draw upon previous knowledge of
historical rights movements? Current events? Can they
explain why human rights are important?
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Lesson
Begins/1s
t Activity:
15
minutes.
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minutes. Then ask for volunteers to share aloud. After one person
is done sharing encourage them to call on a classmate who has
their hand raised since we are discussing as a class not for the
teacher. This hopefully will increase engagement as students
understand that they are scholars and that they can engage in
thoughtful conversation with their peers. As students share,
project an empty web. Write a few more ideas on the web as
students share. This allows the students who struggle with spelling
or auditory learning to copy additional rights for their web (direct
modeling for those who need it.) Eventually by the end of the
lesson students will be able to add a right to the web on their own
or will be able to use the web independently for another lesson.
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Small
Group
Activity
15
minutes
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Group
5. Use attention signal for freeze (chime three times). Each
Share: 10 group will share however they choose to present (skit, picture,
minutes
verbal explanation). Use a chart to take notes on each student
during presentation. Remind students to add to their web if they
Read
would like (optional). This allows the students who need to be
Aloud :
physically engaged to write notes while still attending. Some
10
students may be ready to take notes on their own at this point
minutes
without direct modeling. It also allows those who have trouble
multitasking to just watch and listen. 6. After everyone presents,
read We are All Born Free aloud to the class (an adapted version of
the Declaration of Human Rights with all 30 articles). Students will
recognize some of the photos from the previous activity. This
allows for immediate connection and engagement since they have
previous knowledge or and experience with certain images. Tell
students you will read the entire book through and that they do
not need to take notes or think of specific questions. The book has
little writing on each page and the pictures represent the article
literally and figuratively. However they are free to raise their hand
if they have a question. After the book is read aloud ask if anyone
heard a right that seemed really important to add to the web.
Allow children to discuss.
7. Slide 5. Briefly reiterate the 25th Article by reminding students
that having a good life includes having basic needs met (this will
have been discussed with the last group). They will learning more
about this later in the unit.
Song: 10 8. Tell students they will now have a chance to get up, move
minutes
around and learn a new song, Some Rights in This World. Explain
that you have enough time to learn the chorus today but will
continue to add to the song over the course of the unit. This is yet
another way for students to engage with the lesson and content.
9. Slides 7-12: Full lyrics to the song. Play the beginning of the
song. Stop the music and explain that you will sing a line and they
will sing it back. The next few slides include one line of the song
each with a picture of a motion. This picture will help with the
bilingual students who may benefit from visuals to reinforce the
vocabulary definitions. Go through each line with the motions then
try it all together with the song. It is not mandatory that everyone
sings but it is greatly encouraged as song can be a powerful way
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Closure 5 minutes: Slide 13. Attention signal for circle up. The teacher will
ask what the students thought were the main ideas to take away from the
lesson. Be sure to read the slide aloud as well so everyone has a visual and
audio review. Slide 14: Explain homework assignment by reading and
showing the assignment packet. Ask if anyone is unclear about the
assignment. Students are encouraged to draw/write, depict the right however
they would like (they can label the right in English or another language or
both). End the lesson by asking students to think about this question as they
are completing the homework: Do you think everyones human rights are
respected around the world? This will be a huge question we will be exploring
in the unit. The book will be added to the library for students to read on their
own.
Differentiation
Universal Design
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contribution.
Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications, Pertinent IEP Goals
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Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications
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Instructional Resources/Materials
-PowerPoint/Smartboard
-Web handout
-Enlarged copies of individual pages from, We are All Born Free.
-Homework packet-instructions, printout of rights, paper for picture
-We are All Born Free created by Amnesty International.
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journey of
newcomers and novices. Language Arts, 79(5), 382-392).
Mcguire, J. M., Scott, S. S., & Shaw, S. F. (2006). Universal Design and its
Applications in
Educational Environments. Remedial and Special Education, 27(3), 166175.
Ostrovsky, M., Parr, G., & Gradel, A. (1992). Promoting Moral Development
Through Social
Interest in Children and Adolescents. Individual psychology, 48(2), 218225.
Wasik, B. A, Hindman, A. H. (2011). The morning message in early childhood
classrooms: Guidelines for best practices. Early Childhood Education Journal,
39(3), 183-189.
Book and Video from:
Amnesty International (2008). Resources for early years and primary schools.
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/primary-schools-educationresources#.VJDvgidYRb0
This lesson was inspiring for me as an educator. I have been wrestling with
the issue of how to incorporate important social issues into an elementary
classroom and if they had the ability and interest to explore these topics. They
were incredibly engaged in participation and conversation during this lesson.
The idea of human rights was relevant to each student.
I was able to audio record the entire lesson and when I got home was
able to listen back. I was again astounded by the discussions I heard (I wasnt
able to hear every discussion in every group during the lesson). Students
were on task and engaged in meaningful discussions about equality and
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fairness as well as analyzing the pictures from the book with a critical eye.
One student, Student E., pointed out how the one picture did not accurately
represent the human right since it was a trivial example that would never
really be harshly punished. This same student asked really tough questions
during the lesson such as, Well, if we all have a right to vote and pick our
leader, what about people who are get out of prison and cant vote?. I was
unable to discuss the question with him at the time but told him to write it
down and we could discuss it later. I was able to meet with him during readto-self (he chose to re-read the Human Rights book) and spoke with him
about the voting issue. He gave me his opinion and I offered the opposing
view (he thought people who did violent crimes should not be able to vote but
other people who just stole something should). It would be really helpful to
incorporate wonder boxes or a way for inquisitive students questions to be
honored when they cannot be fully answered in class. There is a suggestion
box but nothing else. I was able to go to the library to find a few books for
Student E. to help answer his questions about the voting procedure and
political parties. I had mentioned that I would try to find some additional
resources for him. On Wednesday Student E. immediately asked, Did you
bring me books?. Luckily I had brought them with me. Students really do
expect teacher follow through.
Students who usually do not talk contributed to conversation. It was
very interesting to use the morning message pre-assessment question and
discussion to determine their prior knowledge about rights. Every student
spoke about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. It was
interesting to know that they didn't have a real sense of rights as being a
modern struggle.
Throughout the lesson I was able to assess students learning and how
this expanded from their somewhat limited view of human rights. The concept
acted as a condensed version of the declaration of human rights. I could see
how through discussions of the read aloud and analyzing the individual rights
in groups students added the rights to the web that were important to them.
The creativity in the group presentations showed a deep analysis of the right
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beyond the words themselves. Several groups created a skit which provided
real world examples relevant to their lives. For example, one group had the
right, Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should
take them from us without a good reason. The groups performed a skit where
a teacher took a pencil away from a student because the student was poking
a classmate with it. They then showed someone taking someone elses pencil
for no reason. Another group had the right about blame and imprisonment
without just cause. One student analyzed the picture itself and said he
thought the picture of the little girl breaking the vase was not a very good
picture to represent that right. He explained that your parents would not call
the police if you did something that little. This was a profound image analysis.
The presentations showed me that their understanding of human rights
moved beyond past historical movements and how they are relevant today.
The summative assessment homework assignment gave important
information on student understanding. Almost every student was able to
represent a human right visually. Many students used characters and dialog
showing an example of the right being respected or not respected. Two
students used a cartoon strip style. They were able to show what the right
meant to them. One student chose the right to choose their own leader (right
to vote). Her image depicted people voting at a voting booth. The person was
saying, I can vote for an adult or a child!. I realized that this student had
misinterpreted the right. I was able to speak with her and ask what she
meant. Through our discussion she realized that it didnt mean that anyone
could run for office. She ended up rewriting the speech bubble to say, I can
vote for an adult for president. It might have been helpful to have everyone
brainstorm what they might draw and either share with a partner or share
with the teacher so that I could assess their understanding on that specific
right beforehand.
If I taught this lesson again I would possibly re-evaluate the group
presentation format. By the last presentation students were getting a little
antsy. I am not sure exactly what would work best but maybe having one less
group would be helpful. Students were so creative for their presentations. Two
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groups decided to do skits. While the open format worked well for this group
of students, I may have to assign group roles or give more guidance with
another group of students.
Although I left the students with the question regarding whether they
think human rights are always respected, it may have been better to
incorporate it into this lesson. This would have provided students with an
additional and deeper understanding of the concept that is so crucial. We go
into depth further in the unit about lack of water access being a human rights
issue but the Do we all have these rights? question could have been posed
towards the beginning of the lesson. Students would not have necessarily
been assessed on this concept but the sooner they start to think about how
rights are not always respected, the deeper they can understand the purpose
for the creation of the Declaration.
I also found that I ran short on time. Luckily I was able to use other times
during the day to finish the lesson but if I had more strict time constraints I
would have to determine what could wait until the next day or what would
have to be omitted. Having one fewer group would help with time and
teaching the song could happen the next morning.
Morning Message
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